High school wrestling: One for the team

John Dommert carries his family on his back. When Thomas Dale's senior 171-pounder strips down to his singlet before a match, the reminder is tattooed across his shoulders.

He's the third Dommert brother to wrestle for the Knights. With so much of the family passing through the wrestling room, eventually the team felt like part of the family.

The oldest brother, Isaac, died in an auto accident on a winding road four years ago, just days after returning from basic training.

John remembers the shock of it, being yanked home from a trip to the beach so suddenly he thought he was in trouble. But he also remembers the wrestling team at his home, waiting to be with the family.

Knights coach Chris Persing established a scholarship in the young Marine's honor. But for four years, John has been planning a memorial of his own.

On his 18th birthday, Dommert got a cross with his initials and both his brothers' initials, the whole thing wrapped in an inky banner with the words "Brother to brother," written in Latin.

"I'm not going to regret it when I get older," he said. "I'll look at it, and it will still have meaning to me."

No one will see it in public unless he goes swimming, he reasoned. But the top shows under his singlet, a reminder of his wrestling family.

"Something that our coach always tells us is that, down the road 10 years, when you look back, you're going to remember how you did in the region and the state," Dommert said. "But the thing you're really going to remember about your career is those guys that you wrestled with. The friends that you made."

Last year at this time, Dommert was struggling to stay focused at 160 pounds. He was pushing 6-3. Going up a weight would have been a relief.

"The last three weeks just got really, really long," he said, "and I just kind of got out of it mentally."

He finished fourth in the region. The Knights won the team title without winning an individual championship.

Dale doesn't have the same top-to-bottom strength of a year ago. For the Knights to win again, they'll need standout performances from individuals such as Dommert. His personal goals now coincide with the team's needs.

And even if John Dommert can't do it for himself, he always will try for his family.